E
very so often something pops up that is so remarkable as to defy easy description. The new album from Windborne, which comes packaged with and 80 page book lyrics, drawings and reflections on the songs is one of those.
‘Of Hard Times & Harmony’ presents songs of reflection and action from movements for social and environmental justice. A four piece band styled accurately as the most exciting vocal group in a generation, this is all about the harmony singing. While Jaw Harp and Banjo are listed they are only played on a few songs. The songs are mostly adaptations from other writers. Although on some of them Windborne have added verses to make them more relevant to the present times. Never frightened of taking risks. ‘Noù Carbons’ is written in Occitan, the language of Provence. One of the highlights is Ewan MacColl’s ‘The Terror Time’, which is sung pretty much as written, and it sounds as relevant to the plight of travelling people now as it did when MacColl penned it nearly sixty years ago.
‘Earth’s Burdens’ was written by Ernest Jones, a poet from the Chartist movement of the 1830s. the chartists were the first mass movement driven by the working classes for voting and political reform. and ‘Viva La Quince Brigada’ is one song that does feature the Banjo and is from the Spanish Civil War. Joe Hill’s ‘Pie In the Sky’ is another sung as written song and I hadn’t realised until reading the book part of this package that his tunes were Salvation Army tunes with new words parodying the promise of religion. This one started life as ‘In The Sweet By And By’
It would be easy to talk through every song on the album, but get the book and that will do a better job than I can. The harmonies are always spot on, and unlike some all vocal music there is space in the arrangements to avoid sounding too syrupy. The production from Jane Rehmke is also out of the top drawer. It’s hard to beat the description on their publicity: Windborne old songs, bold harmony a profound vocal experience
Don’t mess about with downloads or streaming buy the book/cd set as they are part of a whole experience of this music. Get it here.
